Before The World Catches Up
by idontneednoroad
Summary: Massie Block has returned to New York sooner than anyone would have anticipated, and she's ready to claim her throne as alpha. But she's been gone for close to a year, and things are not the same as when she'd left them — lets of surprises will be thrown at her and there will be plenty of complications along the way; nothing that she can't handle with the PC at her side.
1. Block in Black

**VIRGIN ATLANTIC  
Saturday, January 15th — 9:13 PM**

As Massie reached for a magazine, she caught sight of her wrists and smiled. Normally she would _ew_-schew the braided, colorful pieces of fabric that adorned them, but she'd made an exception for the Pretty Committee. Seeing as she was leaving before OCD was back in session, Layne organized a friendship bracelet drive for Massie as a way of getting the whole school to say goodbye. All of her friends, or rather, the people who had always wanted to be her friends, had left bracelets on the doorstep of the estate; there were eighty-seven in all but she only wore five: the four that truly mattered, and Layne's.

The plane began careening down the runway. Bean trembled—she had a fear of flying—but Massie held her close as they peered out the tiny window. The plane went up, up, up until New York, the only home Massie had ever known, began to look like a miniature toy city, twinkling with lights, blowing her goodbye kisses. She pressed her glossy lips against the oval window and sent one back. "I will heart you forever," she muttered.

She and Bean stared out in silence as the plane soared higher. The city lights of her past disappeared behind them as they leveled off over the dark-as-coal Atlantic. Suddenly they were surrounded by blackness: her future, waiting to be filled. Massie rested her head back on the seat , flicked off the light, and wondered what that black space would look like one year from now.

"Would you fancy my nuts?" asked a boy in a Harry Potter accent.

"_'Scuse me?_" she whip-turned toward the aisle and giggled. (If only the Pretty Committee had heard that one!) A smiling pair of brown eyes were fixed on her. The boy who looked the same age as Landon was holding a silver bag of almonds. Thick black hair waved around his tanned face, making his teeth look brighter than her New Year's dress.

"I noticed you weren't eating your biscuits and I thought maybe we could trade." Dimples cut his cheeks, upgrading him from a 9 to a 9.6. If he presented a driver's license and proof of a trust fund, he might be a perfect 10.

"Done," Massie said, handing her plate across the aisle.

"So you are from New York, then?" he asked, biting into the warm chocolate chip cookie. Was it possible for someone to chew with an accent? Or were his lips that compelling all on their own?

"Born and raised," she said, proudly. "You?" she asked, regretting it immediately. "I mean, is that where you were? I mean, ah-bviously you were because you came from there but were you visiting?"

_Ehmagawd mayday!_

He chuckled. "Yup. First time. I spent the holidays at my cousins'. They live right in the city. What a blast!" he wiped his mouth on a cloth napkin and politely folded it so the chocolate skid faced the tray. Massie imagined Derrington wiping his on a sleeve or even the back of the seat. No, they weren't in American airspace anymore.

"Is that yours?" he asked, pointing at her ah-mazing new Louis Vuitton Keepall 55 carry-on.

"Yeah, I got it as a going-away present to myself," she beamed.

"Wow, you must be easy to please," he chuckled.

"Make fun all you want but I earned the money myself," she bragged, even though it wasn't entirely true. It would have been if she didn't use the sale money to buy clothes for her friends. So it wasn't exactly a lie either.

"Really?" he looked confused. "I got mine for free. Kind of comes with the application."

"Huh?" Massie said, eyeing her bag. Her KISS handbook was poking out the top of the bag. "Oh, you mean that?" she asked, kicking it with the toe of her lace-up riding boot.

He nodded. "Quite a nice place. I go there."

_Ehmagawd, this Bawtie (British hawttie) goes to KISS?_

"I'll be starting there next week," Massie said, restraining from jumping on the seat like Tom Cruise on _Oprah_.

"Well," he smiled, "I'll have to give you a tour."

"Okay," Massie smiled, nervously.

An awkward silence hung between them until he pointed to her wrist and asked, "What're all those for?"

Massie held up her wrists and examined them again in the gray light. "Oh, these? Just from friendship bracelets." She wiggled her wrists around, hoping he'd notice the Tiffany & Co. cuff or ruby-and-diamond ring she was wearing instead. She felt the sudden, deep need to impress him.

He whistled a low, long whistle. "You must have a lot of friends, then."

_If only you knew. . ._

"I did in New York," she said. "But I don't know anyone in London."

The boy turned his penny-brown eyes on her and smiled. "You do now." He reached out his hand across the aisle. "Hi. I'm James."

Massie almost laughed out loud. Then she held out her hand and took his palm, shaking it firm but gently.

"I'm Massie. It's ah-_mazing_ to meet you."

* * *

**JFK International Airport  
****Sunday, September 2nd — 5:38 AM**

It was a magical moment, and more than anything, Massie Block wished she could freeze time.

Seven or eight months ago had been absolutely life-changing for the now-fourteen year old, she had been shipped off to start a new life in the United Kingdom because her dad got an unbelievable job offer across the Atlantic that he immediately took on since the Block's had been in financial crisis for a few weeks on the DL — until Massie had spilled to the Pretty Committee about the Block's being broke. That confession lifted such a heavy dead-weight off Massie's chest that she felt light again, but it wasn't enough, despite still having the support of her four best friends. There had been the briefest of seconds that the young girl had considered maintaining her life in Westchester County, a place where she'd lived her entire life, because her mother had allowed that kind of negotiation after a heart-felt talk. But that night Massie had recognized that she _needed _to go to London with her parents, leaving her best friend as the reigning Alpha of their school, Octavian Country Day — yes, the Pretty Committee saw each other during the winter and spring breaks flying back and forth since they were legally bound by contract that this arrangement was _one hundred percent_. And it was an absolute heart-stopper when William Block sprung the news that the Block's would be moving back to the United States right before Labor Day — it reminded the brunette of only a year ago when Claire Lyons had first arrived to be temporarily living in the Block's guesthouse until they found a home of their own, which they had done around Christmas time, eight months ago.

And now, here she was, reemerging onto American soil with her new pair of blue glitter-acetate with grey frame D&G sunglasses perched on top of her head, debuting an periwinkle Velvet by Graham & Spencer Maxina crop-top that accented her silver sky 910 Low Rise J Brand skinny jeans and black Gucci Becky Fringe open-toed boots perfectly — silently, she criticized herself and knew she was a hypocrite because she'd given her best friend-slash-biggest competitor, Alicia Rivera, a hard time last year when they'd first started the eighth grade for wearing open-toed booties. But, then again, Massie's fashion statement had taken a slant ever since she lived in London: Alicia had been right about the Euro Style, which she graciously apologized for all the times she was mean about it. She hadn't told anyone that she was returning, and would be entering the ninth grade with the people she'd grown up with, not even Claire, which definitely said something. Truthfully, Massie didn't want a _Welcome Home_/_Welcome Back _party thrown in her honor, because she knew that's just exactly what the Pretty Committee would do if she'd mentioned it during one their Skype sessions a few weeks ago — she just wanted to surprise them, and spend the next few days with them while they really caught her up on everything that she missed out on, and took her shopping for Back To School clothing that would really make her First Impression outshine everyone at their high school. Which is why she was very subtle in her text messages for the past few days, and was thankful for the time difference, otherwise her absence in not responding to their text messages could wind up making her look a little sketchy.

And she was thankful she'd managed to sleep through the entire flight back, even if her hair looked like a rats nest when she'd first woken up — but thankfully she was reassured that she looked positively stunning, which illuminated a brilliant smile on her flawless face. But 5:30 was an _ungodly _hour, but it was well worth the incredibly long plane ride to her _home_. William and Kendra flanked their daughter as they trudged through JFK International Airport in search for their long-term driver, who was more than happy to take his old job back after receiving news that the Block's were returning from their stint in Europe. As they walked, Massie wondered what would be filling the thick black fold that inhabited while she was on the plane to her new life, now that she was finally back in New York, slowly and softly biting down on her lower lip — would she be welcomed with open arms, taking her rightful place as Alpha, ripping it right out from under Alicia like she had done so many times before during their friendship? And what about her relationship with Landon Crane? _Derrick_? How would _anyone _react to seeing her strutting through the halls, the word would spread faster than a wild fire, so would rumors, and just about everything else that they could conjure up involving the infamous Massie Block.

"There's Isaac," Kendra mused in a yawn, her perfectly manicured hand gesturing toward where the familiarity of their driver pulled them in like a magnet. Massie had missed him almost as much as she missed her friends, he was like a second father to her, and she hated when she had to witness her father letting him go back in November/December because they could no longer afford to have Isaac as their driver, the same going with their long-time live-in housekeeper, Inez — and Massie immediately wondered if her father had managed to bring Inez back into their home as he'd done with Isaac.

"Finally," Both William and Massie exhaled. The brunette rubbed furiously at her amber eyes, leading her parents to where her mother had pointed out their driver, praying to God that she did not trip while she lost an eighth of her focus, but was thankful for the hand that pressed lightly at the small of her back to keep her moving.

"Mr. and Mrs. Block." Isaac smiled warmly, and Massie fought the urge to hug him, knowing that this little reunion meant more to her than it did to her parents.

"It's so good to see you, Isaac." William was the one to speak, while his wife leaned against him for support — they were all tired, and could not wait to be back home where they belonged, especially at this particular hour when everyone else was safe in their beds, and not exiting an airport to surprise their closest friends, and the rest of Westchester.

"Let's get you home," He encouraged, taking in the bruise-like shadows that were under all the Block's eyes from what he assumed to be a restless night. All of their bags had been taken care of, and their furniture had been hauled back under strict orders almost a week ago, making sure that it was secluded when all the rearranging and moving had been done, to avoid suspicion.

The Block's were notorious for these hidden agendas, plotting, and scheming, weren't they?

Massie climbed into the very last row of seats when the familiar silver Range Rover's back doors had been opened for the family, sprawling out across the black buttery leather seats and using her arms as a make-shift pillow since all of her belongings were already back at the Old English—style mansion, her amber eyes fluttering closed within seconds of touching the heated leather seats. Normally, she would have complained about the heat, but it felt exceptional to being the perfect antidote to her ice cold skin, a smile quirking at the corners of her raspberry—pink lips. The shuffling of William and Kendra making themselves comfortable one row ahead was the only thing Massie was capable of hearing, the roaring engine purred against the asphalt along with the soft-blaring music that pierced through the speakers was instantly drowned out as she drifted into a peaceful set of unconsciousness; the sound of her black Jonnie Kooba hobo bag plopping gently against the carpeted flooring of the Range Rover was the last thing that registered inside of her mind with the sudden jerking of the SUV shifting into drive, then at last, the journey commenced.

* * *

**A/N: I've been wanting to write a story set up after Tale Of Two Pretties, and after the day I've had, writing a very, very smutty chapter for my other Clique story, I want to take a step back and stick with PG-13/T-Rating for The Pretty Committee. I'm not sure how far this story will go, and I'm not entirely sure just exactly what I wanna do with it, but I'm gonna give it my best shot; wish me luck xox**

**The title _Block in Black_ is reference to AC/DC's song "Back in Black" **

**Disclaimer:  
The first half of the chapter is an excerpt from Tale Of Two Pretties — it was used as the epilogue, therefor I do not own it, and the Copy Right goes to Lisi Harrison and her team at Little Brown & Company. The same goes to The Clique and its ****characters, because if I did own any of it, I would have definitely tried to have brought Massie and Derrick back together before she left for London, or given them some kind of closure since they barely interacted for the last half of the series, and made him a little more _mature_ than he'd been in seventh grade.**


	2. Qualms

**THE BLOCK ESTATE  
Sunday, September 2nd – 10:30 AM**

When Massie's amber eyes fluttered open what felt like minutes later, her vision detected on the flashing red digits on her bedside clock that it was approximately five hours since the Block's had arrived in New York. How she'd managed to sleep through not only a short drive from Jamaica, NY to her beloved Westchester County, being carried up to her old bedroom, and almost the entire morning, was way beyond something she would ever know. But what she did know was that was the best she'd ever slept in a long time since leaving for London – a flash of terror shivered through her bones at the memory of waking up every night, draining her of her energy and ripping away the beauty sleep that she deserved because of reasons she still did not understand. They weren't exactly night terrors; she hadn't had those since she was a little girl, but it was horrifying enough to cause her to shoot up, sweating and panting, frantically looking around to make sure that it definitely was all in her head.

With a small groan, Massie rolled onto her back and stared up at the familiar white ceiling, smiling to herself.

The crisp late summer air gusted in through the opened bay window, the frothy white gossamer curtain billowing around it in the gentle breeze; it warmed the Alpha's tanned, cashew-colored skin and wrapped around her like one of her old cashmere sweaters. She had missed this succulent weather in the early mornings, where in London, it was less than graceful year-round, especially in the mornings — but she wasn't complaining, since living there wasn't _too _bad. Massie was honestly just homesick, and she could tell that her parents were, too, which was why William jumped at the first opportunity to bring his family back to the United States for a high-rising job that was ten times better than his old one before they'd left for England in January. Massie's amber eyes flickered around her old bedroom — things still needed to be taken out of their boxes and suitcases, of course, but Massie had the next few days to handle that small issue. Even if the boxes took up most of her vast room, but it was nothing she couldn't handle; after all she'd lived with Claire while the guesthouse had been renovated when Alicia's slutty boy-snatching, kleptomaniac cousin, Nina Callas, had been visiting from Spain.

A light rapping on the door caught the fourteen year old's attention, and without asking further permission, as luck would have it, _Inez _trampled her way into Massie's cluttered bedroom with a silver serving tray that withheld a delicate morning snack consisting of four slices of toasted white bread, a cup of light-and-sweet coffee, and a bowl of diced up watermelon. Massie smile-thanked the housekeeper, reaching up to take the tray from her and place it in her lap, using her free hand to tuck a strand of her wiry chestnut hair behind her ear.

"It's good to see you again, Ms. Block," Inez mused in her usual, mousy accent-laced voice. How Massie had missed hearing it every day.

"I missed you, Inez." She admitted, picking up a piece of toast and dunking it into her coffee, careful not to dribble anything on her top while nibbling at the ends of the toast. The old woman smiled and pressed a kiss to Massie's head, patting her shoulder gently before turning to walk out of the bedroom, most likely to get back into the routine of her chores now that Kendra had Inez back in the house.

While Massie ate her morning snack in peace, she couldn't help but wondering how her friends would react to her return. She knew that they missed her, but she'd been gone for about eight months now, and there had been no word about coming back to New York during their Skype sessions the weeks following up to the real thing. She was good at keeping secrets, but it killed her for not coming out and telling her best friends in the entire world about what was planned — sure, if she'd said anything, the forbidden welcoming party would have been shed into light, but they would also be prepared for getting their groove back, and devouring every new thing in the mall, even though Massie had brought tons of new clothes back with her that she'd bought at the strips in London: sticking true to her D&G, Alice + Olivia, Ella Moss, Kate Spade, etc...

As if Massie Block would be caught dead wearing anything short of designer clothing.

But her whole plan was to give everyone a real surprise, those who'd said goodbye to her and made her bracelets through Layne's Friendship Bracelet Drive since a verbal goodbye was out of the question; the Block's had left before OCD was back in session. Take the school by storm, even if it meant knocking Alicia back into her beta-place. . . but even she wasn't that mean. . . after all, the two of them had a heart-felt moment during Merri-Lee's New Years Yves party when they'd paid a visit to the psychic, Hermia, who had been the one to predict the coming-together of the Pretty Committee before Claire had even arrived in Westchester when the girls were in the third or fourth grade. That night had been all about changes, and accepting their new roles, but even Hermia couldn't have predicted Massie's ultimate return after not even a year of being gone. Her amber eyes flickered in a flash of sadness. How could she do that? Massie wasn't shrill, not anymore. England had definitely changed her, for the better, and honestly, if it weren't for Alicia always challenging her, the situation would be entirely different — but they weren't going to be at OCD anymore: ninth grade would be starting fresh, at the bottom, the new kids in the halls. Could Alicia handle that responsibility? Could she dominate the way Massie had perfected all five years (since Massie only started attending OCD second semester of being in the third or fourth grade) they'd traipsed the halls?

It was clear, that Massie would back off, while still holding the reigns — how was she exactly going to do that? She's _Massie Block_, she _always_ finds a way.

_I hear it calling outside my window,  
__I feel it in my soul (soul)  
__The stars were burning so bright — t__he sun was out 'til midnight.  
__I say we lose control (control)  
__This is gonna be the best day of my li-ife,  
__My li-i-i-i-i-ife, o__-o-o-o-o,  
__This is gonna be the best day of my li-ife_

The sudden blaring of American Authors' Best Day of My Life erupted from Massie's iPhone 5S, she quickly went to swipe it out from under her pillow, only to realize that it wasn't there — and it sounded a whole lot louder than it should have been, instead of being muffled. She looked around, eager to find the device, before whoever was calling decided to hang up and try again later; what if it was someone in the Pretty Committee? That could be crucial. Kicking away the blankets, she swung her legs over the edge of the bed, hopping to standing on her feet, and frantically surveying her messy bedroom to find the source of her personalized music-ringtone. Massie was a little slow that morning, she groaned when she found it set on one of the boxes closest to her bed. Dragging her thumb along the screen to answer the phone, she brought it to her ear, and let out a barely audible sigh. "Hello?"

"Massie, hey. You sound like you just woke up... Did I wake you from a nap?" The familiar voice of Alicia Rivera blurted into the receiver.

"What? No. When do I _ever _take a nap, Leesh?" She snapped, biting back the yawn that was creeping up her throat while she spoke. Mentally, she slapped herself for not preparing for a phone call — of course it sounded like she'd just woken up. Because she did, technically. But it was a little after three o'clock in London, whereas it was after ten-thirty in America. Swallowing thickly, Massie decided to change the subject, pursuing in her miniature plan. Before Alicia could response, she casually asked, "What are you and the girls doing today?"

"I'm not sure yet, I think we're gonna hang at my place. Go in the pool, maybe. Nothing big." Alicia bleated, the words rolling off her tongue as if she'd rehearsed them a thousand times in front of a mirror.

"Sounds fun," She purposely sounded blasé, "My day's already almost half way over... and I've literally done _nuh_-thing."

"What? You're in _freakin' London_, Mass. How have you not done _anything_?" the Spanish firecracker gasped, and then, as expected, Alicia started rambling about how she never wasted a day while she was visiting her cousins in Spain, and that in the foreign countries, there was _always _something to do. Massie chuckled softly, gingerly reminding Alicia that she only spent the summer there, and was never in Spain for more than a few weeks — she didn't live there. But then again, if Massie physically still was in London, she most definitely would not have wasted her day, sure that she would have found something to do; perhaps go hang out with James and his friends, meet them at the pavilion, before heading out to do something fun like they had done earlier in the summer.

"Leesh, I gotta go. I'll call you later, okay?" And with that, she ended the call.

Massie glanced at her phone, a slight frown touching at the corners of her lips — she honestly hated using the stupid _Viber_ app on her iPhone, but it served as a way for the Pretty Committee to still be able to call and text without any charge. Claire had been the one to discover it not too long after Massie had moved, and they were grateful for it, since Skype couldn't always be used, and e-mail wasn't always reliable in certain situations. But once Massie revealed that she was back in town, they would no longer need the app, and could resort back to their usual communications once the Block's switched their data plans over now that they were no longer considered International. After a quick look at her clothes, deciding that she could just smooth them down instead of leaving them appropriately wrinkled from sleeping, she slid back on her open-toed boots, dropped her iPhone into her bag as she scooped it up from the floor, and marched out of her bedroom.

"Mom? Dad?" Massie called as she descended the staircase, looking around for either one of her parents, or even Inez. She knew that it was too soon to bring attention to her arrival, but she needed to get out of the house to the girls, and she did not want to pay attention to the mass of boxes inside of her bedroom; she figured she'd just do that the upcoming evening after returning from Alicia's house. And she was a little disappointed when nobody responded to her, a lonely flower blooming in the center of her chest, traipsing into the kitchen where not even Inez resided; she bit down on her lower lip harder than anticipated and sighed heavily. As much as she loved Westchester, the one thing she would miss about London was the fact that her mother was _always _home during their stint overseas — and her father's office firm had only been down the road from the Block's castle. That home hadn't been empty, they had servants practically down every corridor, and Kendra had her British friends gather at their home; William was home before dinner was brought onto the table. But now that they were back in Westchester, it was most likely that Kendra would be off playing tennis, at her yoga session, shopping with her adult friends, or doing something equally time-consuming, William would not be home until late, which would leave Inez to be the one to take care of the fourteen year old girl as if nothing had changed, resuming their activities as if they'd never left. But what was worse, is that Claire was no longer living in the guesthouse since her family had found a house of their own right before the holidays were over — Massie no longer had someone within walking distance to visit when she felt lonely.

_Great_.

Rolling her eyes, Massie shut out the lingering loneliness; she hiked her bag up higher on her shoulder as she walked out onto the front property of the estate, holding her head up high and forcing a small smile. Relief immediately washed over her when she saw that Isaac was giving the Range Rover a quick power-wash in the driveway, and she called out to him, galloping down the stone steps and walking toward the silver car. He stopped spraying water at the hood of the car and dropped the green hose onto the wet grass beside the driveway.

"Hello Massie." Isaac warmly greeted, and her smile became genuine almost instantly.

"Isaac, can you drive me to Alicia's?" She asked, her amber eyes wide and glimmering with innocence, silently telling him that all she wanted at the moment was to be in the presence of her best friends after being apart for so long. With a stiff nod, Isaac gestured for her to get into the car, before wiping his hands at the sides of his pants and adjusting the NYY baseball cap he used to protect his balding head from the scalding sun's harmful rays. She pulled open the front passenger door, hopped onto the seat, and buckled up as she closed the door after her, sliding one leg to being daintily crossed over the other; casually she checked her reflection in the side view mirror. Her hair was stilled tossed into a haphazard knot on top of her head, but once she slid her sunglasses back on, it would pass off as being very chic and sexy; her face was makeup free — she felt naked, and that was unacceptable. She held her bag in her lap, digging through for the glittery Chanel case at the bottom, pulling out the necessities, and swiftly lining her eyes with black eyeliner, dusting her eyelids with a pale gold eye shadow, and quadruple-swiping her lips with her favorite accessory — Glossip Girl lip gloss, this flavor being _Melon Madness_. And she managed to make herself look better in the few short minutes it took Isaac to get himself ready, into the car, and have the keys in the ignition; the Range Rover's engine rumbled against the gravel driveway, the car roaring to life.

The car jerked forward and Isaac pulled the Rover onto the road, turning on the radio so they didn't drive in an awkward silence. Massie relaxed against the reclined seat, staring out the window, singing along to Miley Cyrus' Wrecking Ball, tapping her manicured nails against her thigh in rhythm to the beat. However, as the drive commenced, that lonely flower blossomed once more, and Massie swallowed thickly — what if her friends weren't as excited as she wanted them to be? What if they truthfully didn't want her back, claiming that things worked out so much better when Massie was in Europe? Millions of questions crashed down on Massie like a shoe-box avalanche from the back of her closet, her throat tightening, becoming hot and itchy; she could feel the salty pre-tears forming at the hundreds of possibilities. . . more negative, than positive. It crushed Massie, shattering her into tiny diamond pieces like the ice everyone thought her heart was made up of.

"Are you alright, Ms. Block?" Isaac asked, glancing over at the girl he considered to be like a daughter to him.

"Y—Yeah.." she muttered, not realizing that all the worry and sadness that ripped apart her insides, had taken it upon itself to show physically.

"Anything you want to talk about?" he pressed gently, his blue-grey eyes focusing on the road.

"Not really," She re-positioned the passenger seat to being straight up, continuing to stare out the window, her eyes following the blurring of the trees until they turned down the familiar block that led down to the Rivera's estate. In a few short moments, all of her silent questions would be answered, that could make or break her unexpected return — Isaac slowed to a stop as they pulled up in front of the black iron gates that guarded the Spanish stucco manor. Massie smile-thanked him for the ride, opened the door and jumped out, hip-checking it closed. With a quick deep breath, she let her bag dangle from the crook of her arm, plucked her D&G sunglasses out of her bag, and slid them to being perched on top of her head while punching in the memorized code that opened the gates; sauntering graciously onto the property with her head held high, shoulders rolled back and her spine relaxed, oozing Fashion Runway Model. . . along with alluded confidence that slipped between her fingers faster than Lancôme lemon and verbena cleansing bar soap — not that she would ever let her friends know that she feared showing up. They were supposed to be her friends, they _are _her best friends, and yet, _somehow_ she had the strongest feeling that Alicia, Kristen, Dylan, and Claire would not be reacting **kindly **to seeing Massie show up on the Rivera's front step.

She rang the doorbell, readjusting her bag for the millionth time and sliding it to resting on her shoulder, awkwardly shifting her weight from one foot to the other as she waited for Joyce, the Rivera's housekeeper, to answer the door. But Massie was quickly growing impatience, not even giving Joyce a chance to scurry from somewhere in the large mansion, and pushed the door open herself, casually looking around for any sign of life, and nibbling on her lower lip again. Her boots clacked against the polished marble floor, echoing off the high dome stained-glass ceiling and hollow dark-wood panel walls, creating an eerie atmosphere that reminded Massie of a scary movie; which led to her walking a little faster through the giant maze the Rivera's called a house, peering through one of the many floor-to-ceiling windows as she reached the back of the house. Instantly, her heart swelled so big inside of her chest that she thought it might pop like an overfilled balloon, at the sight of her best friends lounging on linen chaises by the pool in their bikinis, wearing sunhats instead of sunglasses to protect themselves from the UV rays. And then, the happiness deflated in that same instant.

Four girls, looking pleased with life, their lips indicating that they were giggling or laughing while talking.

They showed no sign that they wished Massie was with them that day.

Bracing herself, Massie dug her nails into her palm and pushed the door open, marching out into the Rivera's backyard. The girls were too wrapped up in their own bubbles to hear the sound of Massie's boots scraping against the patio, and helping themselves to the little sandwiches Joyce must have brought out for them to snack on while they lounged around by the pool. Swallowing thickly, Massie shed away the lingering fear that had prominently smashed against her heart the entire drive over from the Block estate, forcing her biggest, toothiest and glossiest smile as she threw her hands up in the air Ta-Da! style, and shouted, "SURPRISE!" at her friends.

"OH MY GAWD!" Four girls shrieked, a mixture of shock and panic coursing over their faces, as they sat up, frantically looking around for the source of the voice. It was clear that they thought they were just hearing things, the ghosting of Massie's voice lingering in their thoughts because she couldn't be there, haunting them. . . until Alicia's dancing brown eyes landed on the girl decked out in a crop top, skinny jeans, and open-toed ankle boots, her glossy brown hair tossed on top of her head, held back by a pair of D&G's to keep strands from falling into her eyes as much as possible, her pouty lips practically reflective under the late morning September sun."

"Massie!" Alicia exclaimed, jumping up from the chaise, and nearly tackling her onto the grass from the impact of her hug. Soon after, three more girls joined in on the embrace, their arms wrapping around each other with Massie taking her rightful place in the center; squeezing her so tightly that she thought she would lose oxygen — but it was totally worth it. She'd missed this more than anything, and from the way they held onto her, all of her fears were just her subconscious messing with her because of her absence.

When they broke apart, the Pretty Committee got right down to bombarding their alpha with questions, throwing them left and right, not giving Massie an actual chance to answer anything, their eyes glistening with happy tears — you'd think that Massie had died, and this was her coming back from the dead. And in a way, it was like that. Something told her that the students at their high school, who knew her, would have a similar reaction after not hearing from her the way the Pretty Committee did, and even _they _did not expect Massie showing up in the Rivera's backyard. The girls ushered Massie over to the cluster of chaises that they'd pushed together, sitting down, their mouths moving a mile a minute, rambling excitedly, gushing over how healthy, shiny, and radiant she looked — now they sounded like she'd been in rehab; Massie inwardly groaned, put kept the smile on her face, trying to rush out as many words as possible over the chattering of her four best friends.

But one thing that was impossible to overlook, was the flash of sickening fear, judgement, and loneliness that clouded Alicia's brown eyes.

Massie swallowed hard, pretending that she didn't notice, wanting to bask in the glory of her friends for as long as possible before it turned serious.

* * *

**A/N: This chapter didn't go exactly as I planned, and I feel that I could have done A LOT better. But I have a shit ton of things on my mind, and I just wanted to get this second chapter posted. Hopefully I'll do better for the next one. Sorry if this wasn't what you expected, but I'll try my hardest to make the third chapter a good one for you guys.**

**The title _Qualms _is reference to how nervous Massie is about being face-to-face with the Pretty Committee, and how she fears that them, along with the rest of the ninth grade (and upperclassmen) would not be accepting of her prestigious return to Westchester's elite life. **

**Dictionary Definition**

**Qualm  
**_kwä(l)m,kwô(l)m/  
__noun_

_plural noun:_ **qualms**

**1**.  
_an uneasy feeling of doubt, worry, or fear, esp. about one's own conduct; a misgiving._


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